Improvement in elevators



P. HINKLE. Elevator.

No. 220,758. Patented Oct. 21, 1879.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIGF.

PHILIP HINKLE, OF SAN FRANCISCO, OALIFORIVIA.

IM PROVEM ENT I N ELEVATORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 220,758, dated October21, 1879; application filed May 1, 1879.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PHILIP HINKLE, of the city and county of SanFrancisco, and State of California, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Elevators; and I do hereby declare that the following isa full, clear, and exact. description thereof, reference being bad tothe accompanying drawings.

My invention has reference to elevators for hoisting loads from onefloor of a building to another; and it relates, first, to a safety brakefor preventing the cage from falling suddenly in case the hoisting-ropeshould be ruptured; secondly, to an arrangement for preventing thereaction of the water from the accumulator-tank, reservoir, or chamberagainst the pump-valves at the termination of each stroke of the piston;thirdly, to an improved manner of constructing the valve for opening andclosing the water-passages which conduct the water to and from thehoisting-cylinder; and, lastly, to an improved construction of thepiston and to secure and spread the packing, all as hereinafter morefully described.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation,and Fig. 2 a front elevation, of my improved elevator. Fig. 3 is adetached sectional view of piston. Fig. 4. is a detached sectional viewof air-valve, Fig. 5 is a detached view of my improved square valve andvalve-seat. Fig. ,6 is a detail plan view, showing theaccumulatorchamber, the pump, its valve-chamber, and the arrangement ofpipe-connections, with valve between them.

Let A represent an elevator platform or cage, and B B the upright guidesbetween which it, moves. 0 is the hoisting-rope, which leads from theplatform or cage A up over a pulley, D, and thence down to thehoisting-pulley E, in the ordinary manner of constructing elevators. Inany case the continual strain upon this rope, whether it be made ofmetal or hemp, gradually destroys its tenacity, and it is liable tobreak at any time and allow the cage to drop.

In the case of a wire rope the crystallization of the metal whichresults from bending it back and forth over the upper pulley weakens it,so that, sooner or later, it will break Without giving any premonitoryindications of its weakness.

Safety-clutches have been employed for arresting the fall of the cageunder such circumstances; but these devices are not reliable becausethey are not called into action until an accident happens, which is onlyat long intervals, so that theirjoints become stiff and they fail toact.

My safety device is an active member of the elevator mechanism, movingwhen the cage moves, and serving also at all times as a regulator of thedownward speed of the cage. It consists of an upright cylinder or tube,F, which can be placed near the upright guides B B, or at any placeconvenient to the elevator. This cylinder or tube is as long as the liftof the cage, and its upper. end is closed by a cap or cover, as shown. Arope, H, has one end attached to the cage A, similar to the attachmentof the hoisting-rope, and it passes up over a pulley, I, thence downthrough the cap which covers the upper end of the upright tube F, andits opposite end is attached to the piston-head G in the tube, so thatwhen the cage moves up or down the piston moves in a reverse directioninside the tube. The cap or cover of the cylinder has one or more holesmade through it, and, if desired, a valve, j, can be arranged toregulate the outward flow of air through the holes. Usually a singlehole is sufficient.

The lower end of the cylinder has also one or more holes made in it, andthese holes I cover with a valve, 0, which opens outward, but which isonly closed by a sudden inrush of air through the holes. The valve j,analogous in construction with the valve 0 in the cylinder F, is ofacup-shape and fitted in a tubular seat. j, fastened to the head of saidcylinder, which seatis provided with openings or ports j opening intothe cylinder, and through which air is admitted into the cylinder. Thevalve j has a stem, 9' reaching up through an opening in thehead of thecylinder to enable it to be raised or lowered with relation to the ports7' to control the amount of air passing through said ports in thecylinder. This piston moves downward in the tube when the cage movesupward, and when the cage moves downward the piston moves up. Now, ifthe hoisting-rope should break while the cage is being hoisted, the cagewill drop until the upward movement of the piston Gr compresses the airabove it in the tube suiticiently to arrest the fall, after which thecage will be lowered only as fast as the compressed air escapes throughthe hole in the top of the cylinder. The space around the rope where itpasses through the head of the tube afl'ords sufficient egress for theair to drop the cage easily when the rope breaks. The sudden upwardmovement of the piston in the cylinder when the drop of the cage firstcomes upon it causes the inrush of air to close the valve at the bottomof the cylinder, so that a partial vacuum is created underneath thepiston, which further assists in lowering the cage slowly. The size ofthe air-openings both at the top and bottom of the cylinder can beregulated so that the ordinary hoisting speed of the cage will allow thepiston to move freely and follow the motion of the cage; but a suddendrop of the cage brings it into action by compressing the air above itand creating a vacuum underneath it.

The ends of the cylinder might be closed air-tight, if desired, in whichcase an air-passage will be made through the piston, so that the air canpass from one side of it to the other.

K is the hydraulic cylinder that operates the cage. L is the steam-pump,which takes the water from the tank M and forces it into theaccumulator-chamber N; and Q is the valve-chamber, through which thewater passes on its way from the accumulator-chamber to the hydrauliccylinder K.

My second improvement relates to an arrangement by which I avoid thenecessity of using an airchamber over the valve-chamber of thesteam-pump to prevent the water from pounding on the valve. Thispounding action is only partially relieved by an air-chamber as theback-flow of water from the accumulater, when the pump ceases acting,acts equally upon the valve and air-chamber.

In my arrangement 1) is the pipe through which the water is forced bythe pump into the accumulator-chamber. To prevent the air which iscarried into the accumulator with the water from being drawn into thehydraulic cylinder K, this pipe 1) enters the accumulatorchamber at aconsiderable distance above its lower end, while the pipe 1, whichconducts the water from the accumulator to the cylinder, enters theaccumulator near its bottom. This arrangement enables me to connect thevalve-chamber R of the pump with the accumulator-chamber by a pipe, 1',which enters the accumulator-chamber below the pipe p. In the length ofthis pipe which enters the valve-chamber R there is located a valve, 8,near its end, which opens into the valve-chamber at a point just belowits valve, so that when the piston is moving the superior pressure inthe valve-chamber closes this valve and the water is forced through thepipe p into the accumulator; but when the piston is at the end of itsstroke and the water in the pipe 10 commences to react the superiorpressure in the accumulator-chamber opens the valve 8 and forces thewater through the pipe 1' into the valve-chamber, so that the reactionof the water in the pipe 12 is met and counteracted by the flow of waterthrough the pipe 1-. This action occurs at the end of each stroke.

It will be seen that the superior pressure in the valve-chamber of thepump while the piston is moving will close the valve 8 against thelesser pressure of the water in the other arm of the pipe 1' from theaccumulator, while, when the piston is at the end of its stroke, thesuperior pressure of the water in pipe 1' will open valve 8, thusregularly working the valve and feeding the valve-chamber of the pump.

My third improvement relates to the construction of the valves andvalve-seats in the valve-chamber Q. These valves slide vertically, heing of the class known as cut-off valves, and they are operated 'by rodsor cords, which pass up through the. cage or platform, so that by movingthe rod or cord up or down the valves are opened and closed.

Heretofore the valves and valve'seats have been made circular, and as aconsequence the valves were subjected to great wear, because, whenpartly open, only the upper portion had a bearing against thevalve-seat, and the pressme of water against the lower part of thevalves caused them to grind and cut on the seat, so that they soon beganto leak and need repairs.

I make both the valve and valve-seat square or with parallel sides, sothat both sides of the valve will bear against the seat through outtheir length, no matter in what position it may be. The pressure on thevalve is then received squarely on the seat and the wear is uniform, sothat the valves will remain a long time without leaking or needingrepairs.

1 thus provide these important improvements in elevators. I render themsafe and economical, and free them from shocks and ars.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. The upright cylinder F, provided with the valved openings at bothends for the alternate admission and expulsion of air, in combinationwith the piston G, rope-connection H, pulley I, and elevator-cage A, allcombined and arranged to operate substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

2. The combination, with the accumulator or reservoir and a steam-pump,of the pipes 11 and r, the pipe 1* having a valve, 8, for relieving thevalves of the pump of back action, as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal.

PHILIP HINKLE.

